Police bond with kids, one free snowball at a time

COVINGTON, LA -- With high temperatures now hitting the 90s, there are some much cooler kids in Covington thanks to the city's police department.

Thursday afternoon, officers loaded a generator and snowball machine into the back of a pickup truck and hit the city's streets.

Their first stop was Rev. Peter Atkins Park on North Tyler Street where a crowd of kids was already enjoying their summer break from school.

"At the end of the day, we want a kid to run to a police car, not run away," Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz told WGNO. "This helps bridge that gap and build those relationships that we hold so near and dear here at the police department."

The kids lined up and could pick their favorite flavors. Many parents also enjoyed the opportunity to cool off. And the message wasn't lost of them.

"I think it's a really good idea," parent Danyell Fabre' said. "It gives a chance for the kids to meet the police and see that there is a good side to a lot of the cops, rather than being scared of them and running from them."

From the park, police officers in cars and on bicycles took the free snowballs to two other locations in the city.

Businessman Bo Jankins picked up the tab for the free snowballs. Jankins is the owner of a tech company on the North Shore called BridgeNet Technologies.